WindowView — Science

Perspectives

(092112)

Irreducible Complexity

Questions:

Are there examples
of features or structures in living organisms that scuttle the logic
of Darwinian and Neo-Darwinian evolution?

What
is the evidence and what are the candidates (i.e., examples) for
such unique complexities that beg our attention and promise to change our
view of life, its origin, and the special nature to our existence?

Are these examples
'gaps' or brute existence of life features pointing to design?

Short Answer:

If we make a trek
through scientific evidence with an eye out for something that is peculiar
to life's structure or operations ...

It
is generally agreed that living systems are distinguished from nonliving
systems not so much by their unique chemical composition ... as by
complex arrangements leading to unique biological functions. Living
systems distinguish themselves from nonliving ones by processing energy,
storing information and replicating. Bradley
and Thaxton (CH) Page 177

How
living forms acquired specific biochemical pathways and specific cellular
structures brings us to something unique. Let's say we can follow a logic that explains how cells and their subsystems
work. Function reveals how these entities work, but not how the entities themselves first
came into existence. The short answer is simple, for the irreducibly
complex features, practical explanations can bring us only so far,
but no further. At this point there is no workable logic to explain how a
specific feature could have come into existence without
the entire feature being created all at one time.

An
irreducibly complex system is one that requires several closely matched
parts in order to function and where removal of one of the components
effectively causes the system to cease functioning. Behe
(MC) Page 178

No subcomponent would
have any logical function without the rest of the structure within which it
is a part. We can't reduce the structure to its component parts ... the parts
by themselves have no functional utility and thus cannot be explained by chance.
Irreducible, complex, features appear to exist within life. They beg the question
of design and they are compelling examples for which evolutionary mechanisms
provide no explanation. How might something exist if it presents the proposition
of an all or none entity?
We address additional
observations and mention key examples below. For your further consideration,
read Dr. Behe's book (Darwin's
Black Box) for a very readable, yet in depth, consideration of the presence
of irreducible complex features. The experience of this book simply brings
us to a realization that something has been long overlooked. It might just
hit you in a way that tingles the spine and really opens up the
window view with further expectations of more unique discoveries to come!

Consider This:

Understanding
life really comes down to the science of what goes on at the molecular level.
Going below this level enters parts of chemistry and physics that supports
life but in a basic fashion is not itself enough to characterize life's activities
and functions. Life's characteristics rest on the basics of these fields but
then really reveals itself by the working of atoms and molecules as part of
biochemical pathways or cellular structures we think of in terms of the biology
of life. Understanding biology at the smallest scale of detail brings something
fascinating. As Dr. Behe and others have observed, what is incredible (wonderful!)
is that cells use numerous miniature molecular machines to carry out every task of life function.

In Darwin's Black Box I discussed several such machines. I showed
that they are irreducibly complex—that is, they require a number
of closely matched components before they can function—and thus
are mammoth barriers to gradualistic, Darwinian evolution. I further
argued that such irreducibly complex systems are best interpreted
as the result of deliberate intelligent design. Behe
(MC) Page 177

Dr. Behe sees discussions
on what is irreducibly complex and the minimal
function of the related complex structures as key to grasping the full
implications here—especially as this will weigh heavy on characterizing,
in part, what examples for intelligent design. [Note: we describe the concept
of a black box later in this article]

The
concept of minimal function provides a way to recognize that a device
in the real world has to work at a certain minimal level of efficiency
to be of any practical use. [See Behe's text for example of outboard
motor]

Our
second concept is irreducible complexity. An irreducibly complex system
is one that requires several closely matched parts in order to function
and where removal of one of the components effectively causes the
system to cease functioning. [See mousetrap example ] Behe (MC) Page 178

In
characterizing complex systems, Behe notes that some cellular systems can
be comprised of multiple parts, but ones that are not necessarily closely
matched. The appearance of complexity furthermore requires examining the make
up of a structure or function to see if it is irreducibly complex.

Closely
matched, irreducibly complex systems are huge stumbling blocks for
Darwinian evolution because they cannot be put together directly by
improving a given function over many steps, as Darwinian gradualism
would have it, where the function works by the same mechanism has
the completed structure. Behe (MC) Page 179

When faced with complexity,
the gradualist is left to speculate about indirect routes leading to complex
features. Behe notes that to be fair, we cannot completely discount indirect
scenarios, which he furthermore notes "is tantamount to trying to prove
a negative."

Closely
matched, irreducibly complex systems not only are tall problems for
Darwinism but are also hallmarks of intelligent design. Behe
(MC) Page 179

Dr. Behe and others
have challenged themselves with the intellectual exercise of detecting the
presence of design. This becomes an area for potentially fundable research.
Darwinists disagree, but then that's not unexpected. Elsewhere other WindowView
feature articles, on Intelligent
Design and another on the Explanatory
Filter, help to describe what it takes to detect evidence of design. This
process must be conducted in the absence of firsthand or eyewitness accounts.
But remember, no such accounts were available for chemical evolution or origins
at other levels. However, if credible detection mechanisms can be presented,
this alone makes progress where naturalism and gradualism are lacking.

For
discrete physical systems—if there is not a gradual route to
their production—design is evident when a number of separate,
interacting components are ordered in such a way as to accomplish
a function beyond the individual components. The greater the specificity
of the interacting components required to produce the function, the
greater is our confidence in the conclusion of design. Behe
(MC) Page 180

Again, we'll let you
read the other articles noted above to see how instrumental the term 'specificity'
is to detecting design. This is a critical focal point to obtaining a high
degree of confidence in this area of research.

Irreducible
complexity in biochemistry

What
is very different about recent science compared to science from Darwin's day
or even from the early to mid-20th century, is the enhanced understanding
we now have for life's molecular and biochemical systems. Advanced technologies
have thus revolutionized science. So, this knowledge is recent, post World
War II, and accelerating and amassing knowledge from the 1960s to the present
time. Cellular and biochemical detail make the final graphic illustrations
for how life at the cellular level works. Behe says with this knowledge in
hand, we can now ask which of the known cellular structures and biochemical
systems are in fact irreducibly complex.

Two
examples that you'll find repeatedly cited as evidence for intelligent design
are the cilium and flagellum. We have links here to web pages created in relation
to Behe's discussions on these irreducibly complex cell structures. (Click
here for cilium and flagellum pages)

This animated
graphic shows the base and 'whip' of a flagellum in motion. The membrane
of a cell houses the intricate parts of the flagellum that make up
a biological 'motor' that serve as one of many examples for intelligent
design.

"Find
out why some scientists have called the bacterial flagella the most
efficient machine in the universe with its:
1) self assembly and repair;
2) water-cooled rotary engine;
3) proton motive force drive system;
4) forward and reverse gears;
5) operating speeds of 6,000 to 17,000 rpm;
6) direction reversing capability within 1/4 of a turn; and
7)
it's hard-wired signal transduction system with short-term memory."

A full
reading of Behe's considerations reveals how complex these structures are.
But the complexity is best appreciated when we visualize the animated activities
involved in producing these structures. It's not just the structure that is
complex, the information and coordination in making the structure is particularly
complex. The following quote gives us a brief glimpse at the types of questions
that arise are unique to the production of the flagellum. But this is only
a few of numerous other considerations you'll encounter by reading Behe's
full account (see Behe (MC) page 181).

The
construction scheme must deal with fundamental questions in structural
and developmental biology: How does the cell measure the length of
a component made up of polymerized subunits?

...
how does the cell turn off the assembly of one part of the structure
and switch on the assembly of the next part? Are there check point
mechanisms that determine whether one flagellum component has been
completed and that it is okay to start construction of the next component?
How is this information conveyed to the expression of the flagellar
genes? Behe
(MC) Page 181

And once this molecular
machine is made ... the power to drive the physical action of this whip-like
propulsion device is like a description we'd read in Popular Science or an
automotive magazine on the finer aspects of a finely tuned engine.

The
rotary motor uses a flow of acid to power it, like a hydroelectric
dam uses a flow of water to power its turbines. ... As Shapiro's review
made clear, the assembly of this bulky machine is a significant logistical
task. We must remember that the cell is essentially a completely automated
factory, so all assembly has to be done by highly sophisticated robots,
not by magic. Behe (MC) Page 181

There are a series
of varied examples provided in Behe's book (Darwin's Black Box) and the cross
section provided by the different types of structures and biochemical systems
adds something important to our consideration. If irreducibly complex entities
exist, then their appearance may be multifaceted. It's not just one type of
feature but multiple types that adds something to the existence of
these complex features. That is to say design is applied at various places
within life and we are faced with more examples than a select one or two exceptions
to overall cell construction.

Also
here is an additional special feature article by Joseph
W. Francis, entitled: Peering
into Darwin's Black Box: The cell division processes required
for bacterial life.

A final
note here on evidence in the professional literature. We've seen arguments
stating there is overwhelming evidence to explain the evolution of cell systems,
even irreducibly complex systems. You will find Behe's critics making such
accounts. But we ask that you read the assessments provided by Dr. Behe first
off. The point is, much of what is touted as evidence for evolution is topical
matter that does not directly address the title issue! A look at the large
literature base now in existence reveals evidence is lacking. Were evolution
the fact that many claim, then why isn't the literature replete with article
after article confirming this even down to the molecular level.

The
idea of Darwinian molecular evolution is not based on science. There
is no publication in the scientific literature—in journals or
books—that describes how molecular evolution of any real, complex,
biochemical system either did occur or even might have occurred. There
are assertions that such evolution occurred, but absolutely none are
supported by pertinent experiments or calculations. Since there is
no authority which to base claims of knowledge, it can truly be said
that the assertion of Darwinian molecular evolution is merely bluster. Behe (MC) Page 183

And why doesn't the
public know this?

Quotations from "The Creation Hypothesis"
(CH) edited by J. P. Moreland and "Mere Creation" (MC) edited by
William A. Dembski are used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box
1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com All rights reserved. No portion
of this material may be used without permission from InterVarsity Press.

Writer / Editor: Dr. T. Peterson, Director,
WindowView.org

(062213)

The WindowView drops many of the typical presumptions to take another look. What does scientific data tell us if we start without assumptions? And ... how contiguous is science information if examined along with scriptural perspectives provided by the Bible? The Bible is the only religious or holy book we know of that is in fact consistent with science. While not a textbook, the Scriptures are either contradictory or complementary to scientific perspectives. Have you looked at these perspectives? To see 'Science and Scripture in Harmony' is to reveal life, reality, and your future.

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References of Interest

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Time spent looking ... through a window on life and choice ... brings the opportunity to see in a new light. The offer for you to Step Up To Life is presented on many of the web pages at WindowView. Without further explanation we offer you the steps here ... knowing that depending on what you have seen or may yet explore in the window ... these steps will be the most important of your life ...